>be me>forever GM>party of fresh-faced level 1 idiots enters their first dungeon>they think they’re hot shit because they bought a sword and a hat>first encounter>giant rats>players laugh>“lol tutorial enemies”>five minutes later>fighter is at 2 HP>wizard is screaming about disease mechanics>rogue missed three attacks in a row>cleric suddenly understands feargiant rats are unironically the perfect starter enemy and I will die on this hill. they're low stakes but not zero stakes. they establish tone and provide environmental storytelling. they're mechanically flexible and can cause mayhem with status effects. they humble players and scale weirdly well (one rat is a nuisance, a million rats is psychological warfare). also, theyre' relatable. everyone understands "giant rat," no lore dump required. the giant rat is simple, versatile, humbling, eternal.how have you used giant rats in your games? any cursed rat stories or party wipes to share?
>>97860099Okay, but what happened to the hat?
>>97860122eaten by the giant rats.
>>97860128Damn. You're telling me you missed the chance to have a giant rat wear the hat?
>>97860099>I will die on this hillShouldn't have got yourself surrounded by rats then, dummy.
>>97860134fuck. i've made a mistake.
>>97860099I dont like rat enemies because in real life they're non hostile
>puckee thread
>>97860099I had goblin archers riding giant rats as mounts. They were fun, especially when using mongol like 'shoot and scoot' tactics against slow moving mellee characters on foot.
>>97860493At least he put effort into the OP this time.
>>97860099It's a shame that none of that happened.
>>97860607Giant rats are pretty much the ideal goblin mount.
>>97860464I mean the same applies to skeletons but I never see anyone complain about that.
>>97861115He's been making these retarded rat threads for months.
>>97861649Skeletons dont even exist in real life
>>97860099Blow it out your ass.
>>97861672Are you a blob of just muscle and fat?
>>97860639He should put some energy into shotgun starting his head.
>>97861115What makes you say that?
>>97861692Do you know what a skeleton is in fantasy?
>>97860099This looks like shit.
>>97860464>the fantasy thing isn't realistic so now I am madTell us more.
>>97861715So you understand that fantasy skeletons are different from real ones, but get mad that fantasy rats are different from real ones?
>>97861965Fantasy rats suck>>97861952Fantasy is about roleplaying things that aren't possible in real life. So it's disconcerting to see things that are too close to life being used.
>>97862447>Fantasy is about roleplaying things that aren't possible in real life.Right, so you should accept hostile rats, given that rats in real life are generally non hostile.
>>97862539Rats are small creatures that feed on corpses and paralyzed victims. It's completely uninteresting to make the rats massive.
>>97860464The overwhelming majority of rats are not the domesticated variety and they can be quite hostile.
>>97862646Rats will run away from people unless the person is incapacitated and they've run out of food. Cats do the same thing. I would think massive cats would be dumb in fantasy too.>nb4 jaguars and tigers and shit
>>97862661Sometimes its flight sometimes its fight. You've just not been rural or sewer enough. Fuck, I had a housecat that took out my 200lb roomate once. You can not like big animals as a fantastical trope because its your personal taste, but you're struggling to justify it based in spotty 'realism' logic that has notable holes in it. Its okay to just not like thing. I can't stand the short people races in fantasy, dwarves, gnomes, hobbits, kender, whateverthefuck. Not racist just don't like em.
>>97860464finding out why they're hostile can be the quest hook
>>97862581Okay, but your sniveling interests don't affect what's possible in real life.
>>97860099Kino. I'd play your game
>>97862675>I had a housecat that took out my 200lb roomate once.things that never happened
>>97862676it's always a mindflayer, always
>>97862808nou
>>97862447No, they bite. There's a synagogue next to my workplace, I know them well.
>>97862581You must be fucking awful to play with
>>97860099What sort of hat? This post >>97839314 makes it very obvious that hats set the tone. Wrong hat and you might break the game.
>>97863117idk man, giant hats are just too unrealistic.
>>97860464Rats can be plenty hostile when they are diseased as OP established.
>>97863117Do not derail the thread by linking to your faggotry.
>>97860163hehehe
>>97861692less so muscles, but yes
>>97861702see >>97861662
>>97860464Is it hard to type with those little paws?
>>97860173Yeah, you put the rats in in the hats, then the hats on the rats and get the catskins for nothing.
>>97864229post belly
>>97861692>Are you a blob of just muscle and fat?How about you shut the fuck up????
>giant rats are unironically the perfect starter enemy How about rat as (secret) final boss?
